Beginnings
by K-9mom
Summary: Beginnings is my own fictional theory on the history of the O'Neill Family. It involves characters whom we know and love and fictional characters. I did build real life military events, bases, names, squadrons and missions as close to the storyline as possible into the story There is sexual content so I will rate it M.
1. Chapter 1

Please enjoy my version of how I think the O'Neill family originally began. I did some research and tried my best to stay true to the timeline and match them with real life events, wars, conflicts, Air Force bases, training, squadrons, etc that were taking place in those particular timeframes.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I had writing it. Feel free to leave a review whether you liked it our not.

Beginnings…..

In March 1950, Susan James, a small town daughter of a Minnesota farmer had graduated nursing school. She was so excited to be away from the farm life and begin a new life at a city hospital where she shared an apartment with a roommate and fellow nurse. Unfortunately in October 1950, she had been drafted by the US Air Force as a Nurse. It was a very demanding job however she always felt nursing was her calling and she enjoyed the adventure.

Eventually she was proving her extraordinary skills in the field hospitals of Korea and was reassigned to an Aerovac Unit as a Flight Nurse. She hated seeing the young men so torn up and battered but she did her best not to get too emotionally involved to any of them as many did not make it through their surgeries or if they did, they completely gave up on life.

The year she was deployed was a long one, she had missed her friends, but simply helping others carried her through and the other members of her team were friendly and easy to get along with. When she was given a date to be released to return home, she was extremely happy but the celebrations that day were cut short with a horrible amount of tragedies needing transport. One of them was a young, sandy haired, brown eyed, pilot who had been shot down and had head trauma, several fracture's, and open wounds. It was thought that he wouldn't make it, he had lost too much blood they told her. She and the doctors continued to try anyway. They got his bleeding under control as she pumped more into him and finally splinted his fracture's. When she read his dog tags his name read: O'Neill, Patrick so she began filling in the form like she did with hundreds of others. As she did, his hand came up and took her by the wrist and a soft sound come from him. "Susie? Is that you?"

She removed his hand from her wrist and their eyes met. Her heart fluttered, _Oh My Gosh,_ she thought, "Patrick!?" She hadn't recognized him under all the flesh wounds and blood which she continued to attempt dabbing and cleaning. She had known a Patrick O'Neill from back home in Minnesota. He was two years her elder but being a small farming town, they all knew each other. She knew he joined the Air Force after graduation but never heard anything more.

"Patrick, you're gonna be just fine. You had lost a lot of blood and have multiple fracture's but we should be to the hospital soon. Now you rest." Quite honestly the man was so drained he was about to fade out into sleep anyway. Susan walked away from him and began to weep, something she had not done since the first day at the field hospital after seeing the massive destruction of these guys losing limbs and dying right in front of her.

When the doctor asked if she was ok, she stood up and fixed herself. "Yes sir, I, I, it's just, this patient is from my hometown, we know each other." The doctor padded her shoulder, "He's gonna be fine, but it's going to be a long road to recovery. Once we land and get him packaged up, he will probably be on the next flight back to the states. Is he a draft or a career Pilot?" She looked at the man for a minute, "He should be a career since he joined fresh out of high school. His tags say he is a Lieutenant." The doctor smiled at her, "he'll be fine then. He should make a full recovery over time. Does he have a wife or parents to take care of him when he returns home?"

She shook her head "No, no wife to my knowledge. His mother passed away a year or so ago but his father still lives in a cabin up in the hills. Not sure he'll take care of him though. They kinda had a rough relationship which is why he joined the Air Force, so he could get away."

The doctor nodded again, "then maybe he will need a nurse. I figure you'll be on that same flight back to the states. You leave on Tuesday right?" She smiled, "That's what the paperwork says."

On the way back to the states, Susan was acting as a Flight Nurse. It was her last day of deployment and the military was going to squeeze every ounce of work out of her she figured, so she simply complied. As long as it got her home she was happy.

During the flight she continued to check on Patrick. He was doing better now that he was casted and bandaged. He had mild concussion but nothing to worry about. He was still a bit week from the loss of blood but the doctors figured he would recover.

Patrick was upset that the doctors told him he would be grounded for at least 12 weeks if not more depending on his physical recovery when his bones heeled but Susan promised to help him.

Once they arrived at Scott AFB in Illinois, Sue was offered an honorary discharge or to stay as a nurse at the Air Force Hospital. She chose to take the discharge and take a full time job at a hospital in Chicago, however she continued to make regular trips back to Scott AFB to check on Patrick O'Neill.

As the weeks continued, Susan and Patrick had quite a close friendship. She had been sneaking him in special items he would request from the store and when he was ready, and she began doing his rehabilitation exercises with him. When Patrick was discharged from the hospital, he was told he had to take another four weeks off then return for reevaluation to see if he could return to duty.

Susan didn't know if she should, but the man had no place to go except to that old cabin up in Minnesota so in January 1952, she offered for him to stay at her apartment. Patrick had accepted the offer and things were going well with their friendship as well as his recovery.

The following month Patrick had passed his physical evaluation and was told he could return to work. He was so excited about the news that he couldn't wait to get home and tell Susan. She too was happy until she realized that meant he would be leaving again. His orders were to report to Lackland AFB in 4 days for flight school re evaluation and if all went well, he'd be redeployed by the end of the year if the troops were still in Korea.

After he gave her the news and it all sunk in, her happiness turned to sadness and she began crying. He went to her and took her into a hug. "What's wrong Susie? I thought you'd be happy for me." She looked up at him and wiped her tears, "I am very happy for you Pat, but that means I'm going to lose you."

He looked her in the eyes and took her hand, "You will never lose me Susie. I just have to go away for a while, I'll be back. And I will visit you as often as I can before I leave the states." She gave him the cutest puppy dog face she could muster and it broke him right there. He took her into a tight embrace and moved his lips close to hers, hoping she would accept.

When their lips locked, Patrick walked them to her bedroom and they both surrendered to their feelings and made love together for the first time. When he laid next to her, he could see tears in her eyes so he turned on his side to look at her and wiped the tear from her face. "What's wrong Susie? Did I hurt you? Why are you crying?"

She shook her head, "no, but you were the first man I have ever made love to." He swept another tear from her face, "and if I'm lucky, I will be the only one. I will be back as soon as I can, will you wait for me?" All she could do was nod yes.

Patrick had left several days later as requested. They had made love again the night before he left. The two were so much in love Patrick thought about not leaving but he loved the Air Force and in order to continue piloting, he needed to get flight time on the books. He called Susan as often as he could but one night late May he made one of his scheduled calls which she had always been home waiting for and there was no answer. He tried several times that night with no luck.

The following day he tried again and she answered but was crying. "What's wrong honey? Sounds like you are crying." All he heard was silence for a few moments until he finally heard the soft words come through the phone. "Pat, I don't know how to tell you this, you're going to be so mad…." He was getting eager. "Just tell me, what's wrong."

Finally she let it out, "Pat, I.. I am pregnant." She began sobbing almost uncontrollably. "What!? Ok, ok, ok. It's going to be ok. I will catch a flight outta here tomorrow. Can you pick me up at Scott tomorrow night, say 6:00?" She stopped crying for a moment. "Yes, I can do that. What are you going to do?" She could feel his smile through the phone line, "don't worry about it. I just want to be with you. We'll work everything out."

The following evening Susan picked him up at the AFB as he requested. He took her into a strong embrace and drove them back to her apartment. "Ok, so, the first thing I want to say is. Don't you worry about that baby, I will make it right. Have you told anyone yet?" She shook her head, "No, I haven't told anyone yet except obviously my doctor."

"Ok, good, then the first thing we do tomorrow is go down to the jeweler and get a ring. Friday we can go to Town Hall and get married.." She was listening and broke in, "what, get married Friday? You mean you would marry me?" Patrick took her hand in his, "Susie, I have always thought you were a wonderful girl and now I see you are a beautiful and caring woman, what's not to love, especially if you are carrying my little Flyboy in there" and he rubbed her belly. She raised her eyebrows, "Flyboy huh, what if it's a little Flygirl." He smiled and made a cute face, "that would be ok too." She laughed, "well that's good, cause I'm not sure we get a choice."

He laid her down on the couch and hovered over her, "with a strong momma like you, I am sure either one would make a strong little soldier." And their mouths met, keeping each other occupied for nearly a half hour.

In the morning they made the arrangements for the wedding the following day and he let her choose her ring. They invited friends and family to gather for a reception on Saturday at a nearby restaurant. The others had only known about the wedding and had no idea about the possibility of a child.

Susan's parents were not happy about the news of a wedding but it was done and nothing they could do about it. They loved their daughter and trusted she was in good control of her life. They also knew Patrick O'Neill well enough to know he was a rowdy child but that he was a caring person. When they saw him with their daughter Saturday, they had no question about him taking good care of their little girl.

When they got back to their apartment Saturday night, Patrick told her he was able to get a transfer back to Scott AFB. "What? When did you get that all worked out." He smiled and kissed her forehead, "I've been working on it since I left." She snuggled into him on the couch. She loved being able to be with him and spend one on one time with him. He rubbed her arm, "the one glitch is, they assigned me to this new 581st squadron out of the Philippines. Looks like I will be deployed for a couple months but I'll be back hopefully by August."

She started crying again, "You can't leave me now, I thought you were transferring to be here with me." He squeezed her, "Susie, you know I can't leave the Air Force, it's my life and unfortunately there are going to be times that I get sent on a mission that may take a while. Let's hope this damned crap in Korea ends soon so we won't have to worry about it so much anymore." She smiled up at him, "As long as you promise to return to me in one piece!" He smiled back, "I'll do my best."

As the months went by, Susan had been visited by her mother several times. She had questioned her daughter's actions but once she found out her daughter was pregnant, she understood what needed to be done. Luckily it was with an honorable man like Patrick.

As July ended, Susan had still received no information on her husband and his return so she began getting worried. In August, she went to the Admin Office and asked for any details. They said there had been several casualties within the 581st but that to their knowledge Patrick was still alive and well.

September 1st was her last day of work. She was excited that the baby was getting so close to his/her due date but also nervous, especially since the father was nowhere to be found. When one of the other wives found out Patrick was returning she called Susan so she could watch the plane landing. She ran to the fence and there he was, one of the most handsome men in the bunch. He came running over to the fence and kissed her through the chain link. "Hey, let me go change and go to the debriefing, and I will meet you in about an hour." She nodded with tear filled eyes. She got into her car and let out a deep breath that she had been holding since May. Her man was home and in one piece as requested.

That night they couldn't keep their hands off each other but Patrick didn't want to hurt the baby even though she kept telling him the doctor said it would be fine, so their love making was very calm and gentle. Just the feeling of him inside her overly sensitive core was enough pleasure to send shock waves pulsating through her body and he enjoyed watching her receive such gratification.

Patrick returned to work three days later and received his orders to stay with the 581st Squadron out of Scott AFB so he was excited. Bad news was, that unless the conflict was over and done by then, the 581st that he was part of, would be going back around New Years. With the baby so close to arrival, he decided to keep that information to himself.

On October 19, 1952, Susan James was brought into the hospital in labor. She remained in labor for over 24 hours and things were starting to not look so good for the baby. The doctors told her that if the baby was not delivered in the next 6 hours, they were going to go in and get the baby out by C-Section. Susan's blood pressure and other vitals were off the wall and the doctors were getting concerned for her own safety.

Very late in the afternoon the following day, October 20, a very loud, healthy, hefty baby boy was born to Susan & Patrick O'Neill. Susan was happy the baby was healthy and that she was able to give her husband the baby boy he wanted. Patrick was so excited about the baby he could barely contain himself. Susan's parents were there and they too couldn't wait to see the little bundle of baby.

Patrick was told he could go in to see his wife and he watched her put the baby to her breast for the first time. He openly wept, something the strong Air Force Pilot would never let anyone see except his wife this one time. She looked to her husband, "Did you decide on a name? I told you if it was a boy, it would be your choice." He smiled and wiped his eyes, "How about Jonathan James O'Neill." She smiled, "that's beautiful!" "Ok, let's get this straight, that is the last time you refer anything about my future little flyboy as beautiful." They laughed, "I promise. I meant a handsome name." And Patrick leaned in to kiss her on the cheek before going to get Susan's parents to come visit very briefly.

The next two months were wonderful, the family had grown to three and Susan enjoyed being a stay at home mother to her new son. Patrick had been back and forth a couple times for overnight trips but always returned within a day. When Patrick returned they talked about the need to find a house or an apartment with a second bedroom. The little one worked for now with the baby in the bassinette but at the rate baby John was growing he was going to need a crib and except for the living room, there was not much room for that anywhere else.

Patrick had worked out getting a house on the base. This way there was no commute and he felt that when he was away, he wouldn't have to worry about her being cared for with the other wives around. They did go to her parents for Thanksgiving and visited his father while they were there.

One day while Susan was at her parents, Patrick decided to visit his father alone. He wanted to be able to talk to his father without the ears of others to worry about.

Liam O'Neill may not have gotten along well at times with his son but he was immensely proud of how he turned out, a strong man, Air Force Pilot, seemingly wonderful husband, and now a loving father.

Patrick and his dad sat on the dock of the cabin fishing and talking about things that had happened over the years. Patrick apologized for not really having the time to visit and only sent letters on occasion and phone calls when he could. His father understood and invited him and his family to come stay with him anytime. He explained to his father that he was being deployed in January and for some reason he had a bad feeling about this one. His father told him it was probably only because of his new responsibilities and a pilot as good as his son would make it home.

What was on Patrick's mind was, that there already was a time he barely made it home, but he wasn't going to worry the man about that. He did make it home and found the love of his life, that's all his father needed to know. It was a learned behavior from being part of a secret operations section of the Air Force few even knew about. He asked his father that if anything were to ever happen to him, to please be sure his boy had a good male role model to help raise him. He also told his father about a small fund he put aside for the baby if anything were to go wrong and he wanted his father to be in charge of making sure Susan or John got it. His father promised but assured him, there would be no need but that he still wanted to be able to see his grandson grow up so he wanted many visits. Patrick shook his father's hand before leaving and promised he would bring the boy around as often as he could.

The family's first Christmas together was wonderful and Patrick wanted to start working on baby number two but Susan just kissed him and laughed. The thought was entertaining but she wanted to raise her son a year or two first before having a second child. Patrick accepted her answer but it didn't stop them from having a warm and quite intimate night together.

When he returned to work the following day, he was given his orders to report in on January 2nd for redeployment back to the Philippines. He knew it was coming he just didn't know the exact date. When he got home from work that night, he had to tell his wife who broke down almost to hysterics. He held her all night and they talked about maybe having her go stay with her parents while he was gone but she refused. She thought staying on the base would be good and her mother could maybe come down to stay for the winter months.

The month had gone by slowly but she was kept busy by her little bundle of joy and her mother had in fact come down to stay with her. The other wives had all become friends and they would have outtings. On January 15, Susan had heard about a B-29 being shot down over Korea but had no idea her husband would've been involved since she had no idea what he did or where, other than he flew planes and being stationed at Clark Air Base in the Philippines.

January 20, 1953 was the worst day of her life. She was awakened by knocking and when she looked out the window, she saw two uniformed Air Force Officers carrying a clip board. Her gut was stricken with a knot but she opened the door. "May I help you?" the two men stepped forward, "Ma'am, this is Captain Murphy and I am Colonel Jones, my we come in for a moment to speak to you?" She opened the door and handed the baby to her mother while they all sat in the living room. "Ma'am, we are here to notify you that on January 15, 1953 at approximately 2300 hours, a plane your husband Patrick O'Neill was in, was shot down over Korea along with 8 other crew members. Ms O'Neill, we have been notified by our intelligence that your husband is alive and is now a POW." Susan was crying so hard she was shaking, her mother was crying and the baby was now crying so she took him from her mother to comfort him. The two men stood up. "Ms O'Neill, please know that the United States Air Force will do everything in their power to reunite your husband with you. If there is anything you need, this is my card, don't hesitate to contact me. If there is any change in your husband's status, I will return to inform you." The two men looked to the ground "I am very sorry." The two men turned to let themselves out the door.

Susan fell to the couch holding the baby, crying uncontrollably. Her mother was trying to stay strong, "Susie, why don't you come home and stay with us for a while. We'll let Colonel Jones know where to contact you when they find Patrick."

Susan refused to leave but after the winter and with no new updates, she finally decided to take her mother up on the offer. At least at home, she would have family, even extended family, and she could visit Patrick's father. She had called him when she found out about Patrick but hadn't heard from him since.

Over the next two years, there had been no news. Baby John was now almost two years old. He was walking, talking, getting into everything indoors and out. He was quite the adventurous little devil. He was a huge part of the small community as everyone knew what had happened to Patrick. Grandpa O'Neill had made him is own little cane pole for fishing and enjoyed spending time with the little monster. Liam even started teaching him to swim and began calling him Jack because he could get away faster than a Jackrabbit, and of course, being another name for John, it fit perfectly. So to Liam, he would always be Jack. Eventually it started to stick as people asked him what his name was and he told them Jack. But when he was bad, it was ALWAYS Jonathon from his mother or Grandpa James who was a bit more strict then his Grandpa O'Neill.

Just before Thanksgiving 1955, another set of Air Force Officers arrived on the James doorstep. "Hello ma'am, my name is Lieutenant Campbell and this is Lieutenant Hanon. We brought information on your husband Patrick O'Neill." She took a deep breath and nodded pointing to the picnic table.

The James women sat at the picnic table while Mr James stood next to them with his hand on his daughters shoulder. Jack was running around and started playing in his sandbox. The two men stood with their hats under their arms and Lt Campbell read from a clipboard. "Ms O'Neill, it brings us great delight to inform you that your husband Patrick O'Neill is one of the final POW's we have freed from Korea. He has some minor injuries which will be treated overseas and we will contact you with a date of his return. We will do our best to get them home before the holidays.

Susan was so happy she jumped up and gave each of the men a hug and then grabbed her son. The two Officers shook Mr James' hand, smiled and nodded to the others before turning to leave. Susan's mother ran over to hug her daughter and her father asked if she wanted him to take her to share the good news with Liam which she agreed to.

Liam O'Neill couldn't be happier, after two years he was beginning to give up hope that his son would be returned. Susan's father left her and the baby at Liam's house for dinner and picked her up later. When she left, Liam gave the woman a kiss and told her to keep him informed.

On November 22, 1955, Susan received a call from Patrick. He said he was overseas but coming home the following day. He said he would be tied up in debriefings for the following day and wanted her to meet him at the Duluth Air Force Base on the 24th in the morning. She was so excited, she ran and told her parents and then called Liam to let him know his son would be home for Thanksgiving.

After a wonderful holiday with his family, he broke the news that he was able to secure a transfer to the new 343d Fighter Group out of Duluth AFB. He told everyone that it was time to spend his time with his wife and young son whom he had missed growing up over the last three years and that it was time to get something more secure for his family. He couldn't promise that he wouldn't be sent on any missions at all overseas being a special ops pilot, but that this position was mainly for defense of the United States so most missions would be on home soil.

Over the next three years living on the AFB at Duluth, Jack O'Neill was growing into a troubled youngster. He was regularly in trouble at school though most of the time it was for fighting another kid while he was defending the honor of another student, usually a weaker student. He was quite loved, secretly of course, by the girls for his bravery and especially his cuteness. His father and Grandpa O'Neill were raising him to take care of a lady. He was taught to open & hold doors for them, carry heavy items for them (when he could at only 6 years old it didn't take much to be too heavy for him), pay for a candy bar if she wanted one, and all the stuff that made the girls feel respected and cared for. His father treated his mother like a gift when he was around her because he knew he was lucky to find such a wonderful woman to marry and to be the mother of his son. They were a very close little family and Jack was even closer to his mother since she had raised him the first three years. He would jump to do anything she asked and kept her close when his father was away on missions.

During the summer of 1959, John had taken his father's belt, his mother's drapes, climbed up to the roof of the shed with what he thought to be a cape. He told the girls to watch him and said he was going to fly like Superman. When he landed he had broken his arm but all the girls fought over who was going to help him. A young girl from a few houses down gave him a long kiss on the cheek and he thought it lasted the day. When Patrick arrived at the hospital to see his son and wife, Patrick asked his son why he had done what he did. Jack made his father laugh out loud when he told him, "cause the girls like it!"

When Susan went to drop Jack off at Liam's house for the weekend, Liam saw the cast and asked what had happened so she told him. Liam smiled and shook his head saying he was most definitely his father's son. "Sounds like something Patrick would've done at that age!" and they both laughed together.

Jack was a bit embarrassed with his grandfather knowing how stupid it was but all Liam said when he rustled the boys hair, was "hey, scars heal... glory fades, and all we're left with are the memories right?" Jack looked up and smiled at his favorite grandpa when Liam continued, "Pain hurts, but only for a minute. Life is short so go on and live it! You're an O'Neill, you attract trouble!" Liam hugged his grandson. "Now, since you are one handed, no swimming, no bike riding, what can we do?" and at the same time they both said it, "FISH!" Luckily it was Jack's left arm that he broke so he could still hold the pole and operate the line. It wasn't like they were worried about catching anything but if they did, Liam could hold the pole for the boy.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In late 1959, Susan's parents were both killed in a car accident after thinking about it for a few weeks, Susan asked Patrick if they could move to her parent's house and take over the farm. She missed the small town life and wanted her son to experience growing up on the farm like she did. Besides, it would put Jack closer to his Grandpa O'Neill whom he adored and she didn't think the kids were quite as rough as the kids at the base.

Patrick agreed and Jack loved it. He loved the animals, and after his chores were done, he would check on his mother and then head over to hang out at the cabin with his grandfather. On school days, his schedule only changed to getting up a bit earlier to care for the animals, give his mom a kiss goodbye, go to school, stop at the cabin and be home by dinner. Jack was the type of boy who made friends wherever he went, he had a great sense of humor which he learned from Liam and knew how to handle the girls. On weekends, he could often be found playing baseball or army with the other boys and constantly had some kind of wound or abrasion that the girls would oohh and aahh over but he thought nothing of it.

In April 1960, Patrick transferred to the 74th Air Defense Missile Squadron out of Duluth. He had grown more interested in the Missile Program and gained a rank of Captain. Jack was immensely proud of his father though he had no idea what he did at only seven and a half years of age.

The O'Neill family remained happy and stable until May 1967 when Patrick received his orders to deploy to South Vietnam to pilot for Operation Bolo. The family was very upset about Patrick leaving and Jack's school work dropped to failing grades. He missed his father terribly so he started acting out. His grandfather had taken the seat of the father role to try to keep the boy in check. Jack was so worried about his father not coming back that he didn't know how to escape it and his mother was a wreck each day so he felt he had to take on the role of man of the house. He did, he always did his chores and made sure his mother was all set every day before bed. He had even thought about dropping out of school to get a job until his grandfather told him he'd take a switch to him if he did.

Liam knew there was trouble when the boy stopped showing up to his ball games and was found hanging out with older kids who were fairly well known in town to be trouble. He sat the boy down and had a heart to heart. Jack snapped out of the funk when Liam told him he would teach him to drive and take him for his license when he turned 16 and if he went back to his teams. Jack agreed and was doing his best to take the best care of his mother as he could. In the evenings when Jack arrived home, he would find his mother crying and would sit on the couch next to her, holding her tight. He loved his mother and it hurt him to see her like this.

When he got his license he would take his father's truck to school, stop to visit Liam, then return home to take care of the farm and his mother. Sometimes he would pick her up and they would have dinner at Liam's cabin just to get her out of the house.

In November 1967, Jack was at school when he saw the US Air Force car roll passed. A pit hit him in the gut and he excused himself from the classroom. He jumped in the truck and went to his house where the car was parked and two men in blue dress uniforms and dark sunglasses climbed out. He intercepted them before they got to the door but they insisted they needed to speak directly to Susan O'Neill so Jack had them wait outside and he went in to get his mother. Her mind was already in another universe, she had been through this so many times before. She was just hoping they didn't say her husband was dead.

The two men stood strong in front of the teenage boy and his mother, "Ms O'Neill? On behalf of the United States Air Force, I am here to inform you that your husband Patrick L. O'Neill was killed in action on November 11, 1967, when his plane was shot down over North Vietnam…." Susan began to collapse and Jack caught her. He was trying to stay strong for his mother and choked back his own tears in front of the two men. "Ma'am, your husband's body was recovered and will be transported back to the United States…." Susan's hearing had shut off after that and she did not comprehend anything the men said thereafter.

The two men shook Jack's hand and left in their car while Jack turned to his mother who was sitting on the front doorstep and grabbed her in almost a full body hug. The two sat and cried, holding each other tightly for several hours. When it began getting dark Jack nearly carried his mother to her bed and decided he needed to inform his grandfather so he picked up the phone and Liam raced right over.

Liam had stayed nearly day & night going home only for bed. He helped with the farm and made sure Susan and Jack were getting along ok financially. By winter, Jack had begun acting out again and was found drinking and hanging around several different girls. Again his grades dropped and he stopped showing up at his games. Liam knew there was trouble when he got a call from the local Sheriff asking him to come claim his grandson who was found with his truck parked in a ditch and a horrible smell of alcohol on his breath. The only reason the Sheriff let it go was because he knew Jack was a good kid and knew Patrick had just been killed, he gave the kid one break and one chance for Liam to get the kid under control.

During the following year, Liam got Jack back under control, though the ability to remove the girls from the young man's life seemed useless at least the kid was doing ok in school again and was one of the best players on his hockey team. Liam had dragged Susan out to get her out of the house and she began enjoying routing for her son. By the end of that year they had a sad but comfortable Christmas holiday together.

Susan began enjoying going out with friends. Jack was finally a senior in high school, captain of the hockey team, dated a few different girls during the year, his mother and grandfather often wondered if each of the girls knew about each other but said nothing. When it came time to attend the prom, Jack took a beautiful blonde name Sara from the next town over. They seemed to be getting along very well and Liam hoped the girl would settle Jack down so he would fall in love with just one girl and start a life of his own. There were a couple boys a bit older (stayed back) who had received draft papers that only had a few weeks after graduation before they were to be drafted by the Army.

The thought had actually never crossed Jack's mind and he began fearing he would be drafted. Truth was, he didn't know what he wanted to do when he graduated. He had thought about entering the service and his father certainly wanted him to since he always called him his little flyboy.

On one of his visits to his grandfather, Jack had sat down and talked to the man about what he should do. He knew if he got drafted he certainly wouldn't run for the boarder, he was to patriotic for that. He had wanted to be a pilot like his dad until his dad was killed in action and he began resenting the government for putting his father in harm's way when he was no longer a pilot (so the family thought. In actuality, he was not part of the missile project at all and was actually piloting secret missions over enemy lines again but Patrick could not tell his wife he was yet again in such constant danger).

Now here they were still involved in the same war that killed his father and there was a possibility that he may be drafted to fight in the exact same war. Liam, himself was a World War 1 Veteran serving at the very tail end of the war so he was a strong believer that even though Vietnam took his only son, that every man had a duty to defend his country. Liam had been born in Ireland and brought to America by his parents as an infant. They believed America was the perfect place to raise their children and that they should fight to keep the freedoms America offered.

Jack only had three things holding him back, his mother, his grandfather, and the beautiful blonde. He thought about things over the next few months and at his graduation party, his mother had invited several of his father's friends who stayed in touch. One named Mike Hamilton who apparently had a thing for Susan which was being reciprocated through giggles, eye contact, and quick touches as they passed each other. It actually make Jack mad until his grandfather pulled him aside and told him to let it go and let his mother be happy. It was what Patrick would've wanted. He wouldn't have wanted her to sit home alone crying all day, so if Mike made her happy, let him.

At the party, the three men had a chance to talk to Jack and they asked him if he had thought about joining the Air Force or any other branch of the military. He said he had decided to attend the Air Force Academy so he could get training to be a pilot like his dad.

Knowing the boys adventurous spirit, much like his father had, they suggested he get through boot camp, then quick to the Academy but they did warn him that being in school did not mean the Air Force would not deploy him.

The following day, Jack picked up Sara and they went to the park. Sara knew there was something on his mind so as they were cuddling in the bed of his truck she asked him what was wrong. He finally explained to her his thoughts on joining the Air Force. She was very strong and told him to follow his heart. She knew him well enough to know he would never be happy if he didn't follow his own path. He took her face in his hand and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much." Sarah blinked back a tear at his words.

Their eyes were locked and Jack slowly moved into her space, hands still on the sides of her face. When he moved close enough, Sara met his lips and they began gently kissing. They ended up getting so intense they needed to come up for air. His lips had moved from her lips to her neck and making her core spasm with desire. She was only 16 and had not been with any boy who made her feel this way. At 17, Jack wanted more but controlled himself and finally turned over onto his back and took her into the crook of his arm so her head could rest on his chest. The darkness had begun to fall and he needed to get Sara back home before her father got upset.

When Jack told her the date he had to report to basic training/boot camp she cried. He was leaving July 1 and would be at basic training for 8 weeks before reporting to the Academy to start classes. He promised her he would call as often as he could and would send letters at least once a week. He was not sure if he was going to get any leave during that time but hoped he would get to come home between basic training and classes.

He had told his mother virtually the same thing he told Sara. She took the news better than he thought and said she had been expecting it and saying it was in his blood. Since they were sitting down together when she informed him that she and Mike had been doing very well and that she was hoping Mike would be around for a while. She was very sad that Jack was leaving but proud that he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. Jack thought he was probably more surprised that Mike was going to be sticking around then she was surprised Jack was leaving to go into the military.

The night before Jack left for Basic Training, he visited his grandfather who wished him luck and Jack promised to write, then had dinner with his mother and Mike, before meeting up with Sara. They spent the entire night together talking and snuggling. Sara was willing to give him more but he knew better than his father to leave the possibility of a child behind to worry about. He promised to return as soon as he could and contact her as often as he could. Sara promised to wait for him and was crying so he just held her close until he brought her home.

In the morning, his mother and Mike dropped him off at Duluth where he was hooking up with a flight to Lackland AFB, TX to start 8 weeks of basic training.

Being a fairly tall, large framed but skinny 18 year old was not easy at the beginning of his basic training but he did what he was told by the drill sergeants. He quickly became one of the favorites of several other recruits, though once and a while they all got in trouble for his wise cracks. Those 8 weeks started him working out and learning to eat what he needed, taught him to take care of your own, and never leave a man behind.

At the end of basic, he passed all the tests both physical and written and always scored highly. He was given his choice of doing whatever he wanted and when he said he wanted to be a pilot he was told he had to be a commissioned officer to go to flight school and that he'd have to have a degree. He had then told him he was already appointed to begin classes at the Academy in September.

Because of the trust the officers had in him, and with his size and muscle that had developed, they tried to steer him towards other choices but he wouldn't go for it. One of the officers knew his father and sort of took Jack under his wing. He had taken Jack up in a plane several occasions and Jack had no doubt that was what he wanted to do.

In September he began classes which he actually hated but he knew he had to pass to get his Bachelor's Degree. As the months rolled by he had been sending letters and was calling his family about once per week. He was able to go home for the holiday break and returned in January. He loved seeing his family and they him. He and Sara had seen each other every day and continued to build their relationship.

During the four years at the Academy, they had each man training in some field and Jack had been able to get the training he needed to do Pararescue and earned his Basic Parachutist badge. Unfortunately just before graduation May 1974, he received a letter saying he was being deployed to Vietnam. He was going to be able to graduate with his class and would be leaving only days later.

Although it was a 17 hour trip from Minnesota to Colorado Springs, his mother and Mike decided they needed to see the boy graduate however the trip was too long for Liam and Sara which hurt but he understood. Jack had never really put his mind to work at school, finding classroom learning quite boring compared to hands on learning, however he was graduating with a Bachelor's Degree with an Award for Academic Excellence in Sciences and Engineering. He didn't know how he pulled that off, but they said he did it so he took it. What Jack was most proud of was that he was now a commissioned Second Lieutenant and would able to begin flight training.

Susan was not happy when she found out he was leaving two days later and she held her son tightly until Mike decided she needed to let him go. Mike shook his hand and wished him the best of luck. They had gone to dinner and spent the following day together. Mike had asked him how he was treated throughout the Academy and various training drills he had been put through. Jack had always said things were fine but Mike knew he was regularly taking extra laps or doing more push ups because of his smart mouth. Mike's buddies had told him they thought Jack would be a good soldier, maybe even a good officer when he matured but only time would tell. When his parents left, he had given them a letter for each Sara & Liam which Susan promised to give her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

For Jack O'Neill, his 12 month tour in Vietnam was too long but since it was at the end of the war, most of what was needed was rescuing POW's, evades, and others from behind enemy lines and he had become one of the most elite Pararescuer's in the field and earned his Master Parachutist Badge when he completed his tour.

When he got the notice that he was going to return home, he sent off a bunch of letters with an approximate date and told Susan he would call when he was back in the US and had a firm date to be picked up.

Three weeks later, Jack O'Neill had returned to Minnesota. His mother and Mike met him at Duluth and they spend most of the first day together. Susan and Mike informed him they were getting married which at this point Jack was happy about. It gave his mother a base since he couldn't be there himself to take care of her.

After visiting his mother, he jumped in his father's old truck and headed down to visit his grandfather. The two sat and talked for hours and his grandpa told him the letters meant a lot and begged him to keep sending them when he could. Finally his grandfather was getting tired and told him he should go surprise Sara. Jack and Liam smiled at each other, there was such a strong bond there not many people were lucky enough to have, Liam completely understood his grandson.

When Jack turned onto the old dirt road leading to Sara's house, he started to get nervous, _what if she has moved on?_, he thought. Just then he saw her out sitting against a tree reading a book so he pulled near her. When she saw him she ran to him and he caught her as if they were in Gone with the Wind. He squeezed her against him swinging her, her arms wrapped around his neck and their lips met.

After a few minutes they walked back to the tree and sat down talking and just studying each other. He told her he'd be home for a month. She filled him in on everything he had missed and told him of some of the other boys who had received draft letters.

She asked what his next move was and he told her he was going to begin Flight School in Colorado. She asked if she could go with him and asked if they could get an apartment on base and he would have loved to but flight School was going to require him moving from base to base. She didn't care, she wanted to be with him so he said he would think about it and have to find out how it would work.

She was excited about the potential and wrapped her hands around his neck and their lips locked. He rolled her over and was on top of her. God, how he wanted this girl, and he knew she wanted him. Sara stood up and ran towards the woods laughing so Jack followed.

When she tripped he caught her and they were playfully kissing until their eyes locked and they were out of breath. He read her eyes as if to say he had permission to do what he wanted, but he also read a bit of fear in a 21 year old girl who had never been with anyone else. At 22 years old, Jack O'Neill had been with a few girls, most while he was drinking and brought some tramp he'd find himself waking up next to. He had done some drinking while in Boot Camp and Academy but nothing like the drinking he and his buddies took in while overseas on their off time. He would never tell Sara he had been with others and he figured if he had been in his right mind, he never would've. Jack however, knew he was the first guy Sara had been with so he turned down the heat and went back to cuddling.

During the month they were together, Jack enjoyed being with his family and Sara. They had even had several barbecue's where everyone was invited and Jack & Sara would disappear to go swimming.

The night before he left, he knew his grandfather was out with the guys as he always was on the 3rd Thursday of every month. He and Sara had decided to go to the cabin to do some swimming and fell into each other's arms. Before they knew it, both were going after each other with their mouths, Jack making the girl feel sensations she had never felt. When he made eye contact he still read "green light" but still saw the little bit of fear so he paused his mouth for a moment and asked her what she wanted to do. Her face began to glow and she told him she wanted him. As his mouth went back to work on her neck his hands began freeing her body from the swim suit she was wearing as he slid his cut off jeans off his own legs. Sara was quite timid, she didn't know what to do or what to expect. He figured being in the water made it less intimidating as he couldn't see her body. He took her hand and allowed her to roam his body which he softly did the same to her while their mouths continued their journeys. When his hands began roaming to her breasts, he started tracing her nipples with his tongue she started to get out of the water and dragged him by the arm to follow. When she laid on the doc, she fell back onto her back to give him access.

That evening, Jack O'Neill had taken the innocence from Sara Anderson. He held her and was slow and gentle, giving her the time she needed to work through her virginity and enjoy the moment. She didn't know how to react when she came back down from her trip of ecstasy he had eventually sent her on. She was almost embarrassed but he told her it was something he could do for her every time if she enjoyed it. When her eyes came back into focus, she saw him just sitting over her, still in her, with a big smile. She nodded her head that she did indeed enjoy it and at that point they saw headlights coming into the driveway. As soon as Liam pulled in and his lights illuminated the area, he saw his grandson jump up and run for a towel to cover his girlfriend, then himself. Liam rolled his eyes and remembered the times he had found his son in the same predicament. It had become a habit to check the dock because of all those times he caught Patrick.

Liam did not come down to the pond but rather announced himself and suggested they stay where they were until he got into the cabin. Sara was on the verge of humiliation but Jack kept her calm. He had her slip back into her bathing suit and had her wait in the truck while Jack got his shorts on and went in to speak to his grandfather.

As Jack tried to talk, Liam just smiled at his grandson. "Boy… you owe me no explanations. I just hope you were careful." Jack's face turned as red as possible and he looked to the floor, "Grandpa!" Jack was still blushing at the thought of his grandfather seeing them. "Ya, well, it wasn't a problem since you broke up the party before it would be an issue." Liam chuckled at his grandson's whit and walked to his room, "Sorry son, probably for the best."

Jack shook his head and followed his grandfather. "Grandpa, I'm gonna be leaving tomorrow. I still need you to keep an eye on Mom and Sara." Liam turned around, "I'll do my best buddy. You take care of yourself you hear me!" Liam turned and took Jack in a strong embrace making them both shed a tear. "I just hope I'm still here when you get back. If I'm not, make sure you take good care of the cabin for me." Jack couldn't choke back the tears anymore, "I will grandpa, don't you worry. But nothing is gonna happen to you so there's no problem." They gave each other one more quick hug. "Why don't you scoot, your little lady out there is probably getting cold and I am exhausted." Jack looked to his grandfather one more time, he had just not known it would be the last time.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

In the morning, Jack O'Neill, boarded an Air Force Plane at Duluth and started on his way to his next Flight School Training. Jack liked the group of guys he was with and they seemed to like him. Even the officers seemed to like him and picked him out early as a leader and often made him a team Captain.

Jack had asked about base housing if he had a girl living with him and he was told it was only permitted for married couples. Figuring he couldn't run up and marry her this weekend, she was going to need to wait and when he called to explain it to her she understood. He told her he expected to be done with flight school in about twelve months and he hoped he was going to be able to return home for a while but there were no guarantees.

The day before completing flight school, they were told they'd be going to be assigned a base and squadron which for some would send them off to missions and were being given a two week furlough in about 3 months.

Jack had called to tell his mother about earning his Pilot Wings. She was so proud of her little boy but hated that he was flying. Too dangerous she thought. When he tried calling Sara, her parents would always say she wasn't there. A few days later, he was so excited to receive mail so he read Sara's first. She had said she met another young man and had begun dating him. She said she thought the relationship had been going well and it was getting serious and he proposed soon, this letter would be her last. She thanked him for the wonderful times they shared and for being her first love but after waiting for Jack all these years, she felt she needed to move on.

He wasn't overly surprised, he wasn't sure he would've waited all these years for someone he thought. To wait to be with someone after so long would have to be absolute true love. Then he opened the letter from his mother, it read as usual that she missed her little boy terribly. She explained that Mike had been able to follow Jack's service records until recently but all he was told was Jack was now at an undisclosed location and involved in special ops which made Mike proud he was following in his father's footsteps but was making his mother even more full of anxiety. Truth was, Mike knew the boy had been assigned specifically to the 27th Special Operations Wing stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.

The following letter he received from his mother informed him of the death of his grandfather Liam. She included a note Liam had left for Jack so he took the letters and went for a walk so he could read them in private.

Liam's letter said:

To Jonathan James O'Neill (aka: Jack):

If you are reading this letter, it is because I have passed away. I can not put into words how immensely proud I am of you for your achievements. You are a good man and deserving of a wonderful wife and fulfilling career. I know you, and I know you want to experience all the adventures life offers but please also take into consideration being able to settle down sooner than your father in order to appreciate those gifts. I love you grandson, I hope your memories of me are favorable for having you in my life certainly brightened my days. I don't know how I would've gotten along as long as I did without you. I have left the keys to my truck and the cabin with your mother as well as the paperwork for both which are now in your name. At the cabin, in the left side desk drawer, you will also find a bank book in your name. It is from a fund your father had begun for you and left in my trust to be given to you when I felt appropriate. I have added some of my own funds over the years and with interest, you should have plenty of money to help build your future family. I know you will take care of the cabin and I hope when you return, it will continue to give you the same fond memories with your family as it did me with mine.

I love you buddy, get home safe!

Liam O'Neill

Jack did everything he could to hold back the tears but it didn't work. When he heard someone coming up behind him he wiped his face and tried to put on a smile but his team mate read right through it and stopped. In their field, they were very close so Jimmy sat down next to Jack, not making eye contact.

They were silent for a moment until Jimmy decided to talk. "Bad news from home?" Jack fought back the tears, Jack nodded. "You wanna talk about it?" Jimmy asked. Jack was not one to share his feelings even then but he thought in this situation he may take his friend up on the offer. "Ya, well, my girl left me for another guy, but my grandfather died. He and I were really close."

Jimmy gently nodded his head and put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Sorry pal. As for the girl, if she didn't wanna wait, let her go man. If she loves you she'll wait. There's always another girl. But I'm sorry to hear about your grandpa. Anything I can do for you?" Jack smiled and looked towards his friend, "nah, thanks though. I think I just wanna sit here for a minute and think everything out. I'll be back down shortly." Jimmy understood so he patted Jacks leg and got up to walk away, "I'm here for ya man, if you wanna talk, you know where to find me."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When he received his furlough after three months, he jumped the first plane back to Duluth where he hopped a cab and showed up and his mother's doorstep. She was so happy to see him, she was crying and had a hold on him that was crushing the wind out of him but he wasn't going to complain. His mother was his world, they had always been very close and if she needed to be held, he'd hold her.

She finally let him go so he could shake Mike's hand. His mother pulled him into the house so he could put his things in his bedroom. They sat and talked for hours, his mother as close as possible to him on the couch. Susan had informed Jack that Mike had proposed to her and they were hoping to hold the wedding while he was home so he could be part of it. Jack wasn't surprised and was happy Mike wanted to make their relationship legal. He hugged his mom and told her he supported it completely.

Jack and Mike got along well and Mike eventually opened up a bit about some of the things Patrick and he had done while they served but certainly couldn't tell details and Jack understood. Mike enjoyed talking flying with his future step son.

After dinner, Jack told his mother he wanted to move his things into the cabin. She handed him the keys and Mike gave him a ride over. When they pulled in, they saw Sara sitting on the tree swing near the pond. When she looked up and saw them she came to life, it was apparent she had been crying. She was quite surprised to see anyone pull in let alone Jack.

When the truck came to a stop Jack jumped out and ran to her. She had a black eye and several bruises on her arms. "What the hell happened to you?" She broke down and fell into Jacks open arms. He held and rocked her, holding her head to his shoulder hushing and trying to get her to get under control. She didn't really know Mike and was not willing to speak in front of him. Jack gave him a head movement telling him to leave so Mike took Jack's things out of his car and took off.

Jack continued to hold her but led her into the cabin. Finally she told him the guy she was with had become angry and tried to rape her several days ago. She said it was stopped by his brother and she had not seen the guy again and that she had been hiding out at the cabin so her father didn't see her. She thought it was her fault for not giving the guy what he wanted. Jack's eyes turned to fire. "Who is this bastard?" She told him she wouldn't tell but Jack insisted he would find out anyway.

Finally he took her firmly by the shoulders and insisted she tell him, so she did. When Jack grabbed her hand to lead her out the door, she started to pull back. "No Jack! Fred is the son of the local Sheriff, there's nothing you can do. The Sheriff won't believe me!"

Jack continued to drag her out to the truck, "then you're gonna show me where the bastard lives so I can take care of him!" Once he heard the name Fred, he guessed who it was and she confirmed. Jack drove to the guy's house and met him outside. Fred came out with a baseball bat but he was no match for the training Jack had received. He took the bat from Fred's hands and threw it before beating the shit out of him until his brothers came running out to stop them. Sara was crying in hysterics and the brothers were screaming. They knew why Jack was there so they backed him up. They told Fred he got what he deserved and told Jack to leave and that they would handle their brother and father.

Jack took Sara home to the cabin and told her she could stay if she wanted but that he insisted she tell her parents what happened. By spending time with Jack and seeing how he protected her, she fell in love with him all over again, or had she never fallen out of love, she didn't quite know.

During their evening together, Jack had told her about his reassignment to Cannon AFB in New Mexico and that he hoped to stay there for a while. When she heard that, her heart immediately calmed and she took his hand. Jack was thinking about what he wanted to do. Did he want to let her back into his life? See her again definitely relit a fire in his heart.

Before anything went any further, Jack decided he wanted to take her to her parents so she could explain what had happened. After a few days of not hearing from their daughter, Jack figured they must be wondering where she was. Sara was totally against the idea but he told her either he would go alone or she could go with him but that either way he thought her parents deserved to know so she finally agreed to go with him.

When they arrived at her parents, Sara's father had flipped out but was happy that Jack had brought her home. He had never had an opinion of Jack because he didn't know him but he could tell his little girl loved the man and taking charge of the situation, comforting her when she needed someone, and insisting she inform her parents told him Jack was an honorable man.

Sara's father was not happy that Sara wanted to stay at Jack's cabin but Jack promised she would be staying in Liam's bedroom since his things were still in the smaller room he had thought of as his own since he was a child, and told him he could stop by anytime he wanted. He didn't know why, but the elder man felt Jack was honorable enough to trust him so he stopped pestering them.

On his mother's wedding day, Mike and all his old Air Force buddies were dressed in their suits and standing in front of the small crowd. Jack had walked into the room where his mother was waiting and started tearing up when he saw her dressed in her gown. He walked to her and they embraced for a few minutes before he pushed her back and looked her in the eyes. "You ready for this? And you're sure this is what you want?"

Susan was crying. Just seeing her son all grown up and still worrying she was happy made her heart warm. She nodded her head and put her arm through the bent arm he offered her and the two walked side by side down the aisle. The Justice of the Peace asked "who presents this woman to be married?" Jack responded, "I do" and Jack went to sit with Sara and the other guests.

The wedding was beautiful and the small reception at the Farm was wonderful. Jack got to see several people he hadn't seen in years and they kept asking him when he and Sara were gonna get "hitched" and they all laughed and shook it off.

A couple days before he had to go back, Jack had decided to take the plunge and talk to her father. Mr Anderson was torn, he was certainly proud of Jack and all his accomplishments and dedication to his country but he didn't really want Sara to be a military wife always wondering if her husband was going to come home. For crying out loud, Jack's mother had been through it and the community saw her break until Mike came into her life. But again, he had to give the young man credit for doing things the honorable way of asking her father before her and after all they had been together for nearly 7 years with only the small glitch in the middle for the asshole she thought could fill Jack's boots.

Mr Anderson had finally given Jack his blessing and welcomed him into their family. Jack told him his future plans and how they would first get an apartment somewhere off base before renting a bigger house on base after they were married. He didn't like the idea of them living together unmarried but he also knew their living across the country wouldn't help. Jack knew that now he would get a week vacation each year as part of his regular benefits so they would talk about when they wanted to have the wedding and would plan it accordingly.

Since Jack had to leave in just two days, he packed as much as he could of Sara's things that could travel with him and said he's go look for an apartment when he got to New Mexico. When things were ready, Sara would fly down with more of her things and whatever else she thought she needed, her parents would ship to her.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Jack reported for his first day at Cannon AFB, he went to the Administration office and told them he was going to be looking for an apartment for he and his fiancé. One of the Staff Sergeants had known of a second floor apartment about two miles from the base which had just opened up and found him the contact info. He signed all his paperwork for the base and went to meet the Major of his squadron. The first thing Major Flanders said after shaking his hand and welcoming him was, "Boy, I don't know how you got this assignment but you're either really good or you got friends in high places!"

Truth was, there was only one seat available at the 27th Special Operations Wing and he got it. There were pilots from several other squadrons and bases who had applied never mind the rest of his graduating class who were all being dispersed around the country.

Major Flanders had walked Jack to the bunks where he would be staying until he got a place, then walked him to the Colonel's Office. When Jack walked in he saw his dad's friend Colonel Bill Reynolds. Reynolds excused his 2IC and asked Jack to shut the door before shaking his hands and asking him to sit down. "Colonel Reynolds. I didn't expect to see you."

Reynolds just smiled, "son, I didn't want everyone to know what was happening but when Mike told me you had received your wings after all parachuting you did in Vietnam, I knew I wanted you here. I also know that you were in much deeper than simple Pararescue. No need to talk about it, just know that I know you kicked ass over there. I know it's going to be hard for you thinking you need to live up to your old man, but I am confident that you will do well and that I have chosen the right man for my squadron."

Jack thanked the man whom he had met on occasion and who was just at his mother's wedding. _So, that's who Mike has been getting his info from!_ He had always wondered how the man knew everything. Jack walked away very honored to be part of his father's friend's lives and he did hope he could live up to their expectations, especially with the strings they had all apparently pulled.

Within a week, Jack had his things moved into the new apartment which was really a two family house. Sara had made plans to come down the following week and Jack picked her up. She was quite impressed by the two bedroom place he got for them that she couldn't stop smiling. When she settled in, she called her parents to say she arrived just fine and promised she would send pictures of the apartment.

They had made many friends on and off the base over the next six months or so. Jack had gone for a few multiple day missions but was never too far which she was fine with. When he was gone, she often found herself sitting at the edge of the base watching the planes come & go hoping one would be him. Sometimes it was, sometimes not. They spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends from the base and Christmas was mostly just the two of them however they did attend a base Christmas Party.

After New Years, they had announced to their friends and family that they were going to get married May 18 at the cabin and told their parents Sara would go home a couple weeks ahead to get things situated and Jack would fly in that Sunday, stay the week and they would be married the following Saturday, giving them time to get back to New Mexico Sunday.

When the spring came, they stuck to their plan and the wedding was beautiful with the Priest standing at the end of the dock facing the cabin and the couple standing over the water and friends and family sitting on the grassy area.

When everyone except their parents left that night, they agreed to be driven back to Duluth at 8am by Sara's parents. They all sat around for a few more hours until the parents decided to leave them alone when Jack had carried his bride to his bed where they snuggled up next to each other and fell fast asleep.

In the morning, Mr Anderson had picked them up as planned and they went home. Jack has made a move at his new wife and she was willing. He took her face in his hands and gently met her lips with his. He backed her up all the way into the bedroom while their tongues dueled and their hands began undoing each other's clothes, dropping them on the floor.

When the back of her knees hit the bed, they buckled and she fell back giving him the advantage to climb over her. His mouth was tickling her neck and collar bone while his manhood was being dragged around her thigh and belly. She couldn't stop herself from becoming wet at her core. She wanted him so bad so she took his waist with each hand and guided him back down. She was rubbing her hands through his chest hair when his mouth had finally moved down to her breasts where he was taking her full breast in his mouth and allowing his tongue to circle her nipple. Finally he felt her take his manhood in her hand and he knew she was done with everything else and wanted him in her so he obliged.

He started off slow giving her time to adjust to his size, it had been a very long time since they were together like this. When he found the rhythm she seemed to enjoy he stayed with it only changing briefly and returning. When he was started to get tired, he started pushing further and faster as she begged for more. When he saw her eyes roll back and her back arch up, he knew she was ready so he thrusted a few more times as deep as he could and he began spilling his seed into his wife as she rode out her orgasm.

When they were both done, Jack collapsed next to his bride and let her lay in the crook of his arm facing him so they could see each other and she could play with his chest hair.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next two years were about the same. They were madly in love and although they were not trying to have a child, they were not doing anything to stop it except for just hoping Jack had good timing to pull out. They definitely wanted children but living in an apartment may not be the right time.

Sara had gotten a job at a local office doing filing and typing letters and Jack had been promoted to Lieutenant. Things were going great until March 1980 when Jack told her he was being deployed to an undisclosed location for a mission. He told her he expected to be back within a month and not to worry about it, it was nothing he hadn't done in the past.

The morning of the mission, Sara kissed her husband goodbye for a month or so. Her friends and other wives who had gone through it several times promised to take care of her and they did. When Sara had two Air Force officers show up at her door, she feared the worst. They told her, Jack had been on a mission over Iraq & Iran when he jumped from the plane for a Special Mission drop but his parachute didn't open. Because the mission was so secret, the government couldn't send more manpower to look for what they thought was a dead man's body. Susan's friends had done their best to console her but she was beyond that. It took about two weeks but Jack had been able to get to the pick up point even with the multiple fractures and fractured skull he had sustained. Unfortunately he did not successfully complete that mission but he was happy he got himself outta there.

Jack had completely healed from his prior injuries and returned to active duty status 12 weeks later when he was back in the pilot seat of his F-111. Jack knew Sara was just being the stoic military wife every time he told her he'd be gone a week or two on a mission and eventually she seemed to harden to it.

In 1982 Jack had made the rank of Captain before being sent on a covert mission to East Germany with his buddy Charlie Kawalski and under the direction of Colonel John Michaels. This mission turned out to be tragic when a roof sniper saw Colonel Michaels and killed him leaving Jack to drag his body out of enemy territory. They completed their mission but it was a solemn return with the loss of their friend and everyone second guessing how things should have happened and how someone should have seen that sniper before going in.

It had been two weeks by the time they returned so they had been dealing with John's loss but something about returning to the base and knowing his wife and children would be without a father and husband that hit Jack the wrong way.

When Jack returned home he held Sara tight so she just held him, happy he had returned home. Everyone managed to get through the services and Jack and Sara walked through the line to say their apologies to Ms Michaels and the children. Jack began having flashbacks of his own childhood and being in their shoes. He told each of the little girls that if they needed anything at all, ever, to give him a call. He also told them to stay close to their mom, that they would have to help each other through it. He kissed each little girl and hugged and held Johns wife for a moment whispering in her ear the same as he told the children. And they finally left to return home.

The days went on as usual for almost a year before Jack was given orders to transfer to Hurlburt Field, Eglin AFB, Florida and under the Air Force Special Operations Command. Sara was actually happy about the move as she did not like the hot desert climate of New Mexico and thought Florida would be much nicer.

The move was smooth and they had decided to rent a house on base. Jack was happy several of the men he had known were also transferred. Going through some of the missions they had over the last few years he didn't know how he would've made it home without his buddies like Kawalski covering his ass.

Jack and Sara were happy together often going out with other couples and attended base banquets and special occasions. It had been only a couple years after moving to Florida that Sara began getting sick often. Jack had started getting worried about her so he insisted she go to the doctor so he took a day off and brought her in. The doctor broke the news to the couple, now in their mid 30's and in the prime of their lives, that he suspected Sara was pregnant. He wanted to run some bloodwork and would let them know the following day.

That night Sara and Jack stayed home just holding each other. Jack was incredibly happy at the thought of having a child as was Sara but the thought scared her. That night she and Jack were cuddled in bed talking and staring into each other's eyes when Jack made the first move to kiss her lips. She gladly accepted and she climbed over him before taking off her nightshirt and removing his t-shirt. His hands found her breasts and he played with them while their mouths kept in contact. She was teasing him as his mouth wanted to catch her breasts until he overpowered her and rolled her onto her back and started working on her neck and chest with his mouth. As they were heating up, Jack finally shimmied off his shorts and entered her wet core. As he built his rhythm, Sara always met his move so she could take his entire length. All she could do was rub her hands through his hair or chest while his mouth sucked her pulse on her neck or his tongue was tracing her nipples. He had given her two wild orgasms and was holding back his own until he knew she was completely satisfied. He figured if they were pregnant there was no longer a need to try to be careful so he exploded inside her which continued her pleasure.

When they were done, they just laid naked on the bed staring at the ceiling. Sara had a smile on her face so he turned on his side to look at her. He was now smiling because he knew he gave her so much pleasure. He kissed her shoulder until she turned to look at him and started to giggle. "What? What's so funny?" She finally said she could feel the pregnancy. She could tell that during their intercourse her abdomen felt different and that it seemed her core was much more sensitive to touch. He asked if he had hurt her in anyway and she said no, that it was quite to opposite.

In the morning the doctor called and confirm her pregnancy. He thought she was most likely about 4 months in and told her to limit her heavy lifting and all that kind of stuff but that otherwise she was free to do anything except smoke and drink which was not a problem anyway. She was almost embarrassed but she asked the doctor if it was ok to partake in intercourse and the doctor told her absolutely and that sometimes it was a good was to break up some of the spasms she had been having. He wanted to recheck her every four weeks so she made an appointment.

They couldn't wait to tell their parents but decided to hold off and make a trip up to the cabin were they had only been a handful of times over the years. So Jack went down and told his CO and his friends the news and asked for a two week vacation which was granted. Then they went down to the lawyers office which Sara had been working at and told them she would be leaving for two weeks, then would be gone permanently after about three more months as she wanted to stay home with the baby after he/she was born.

When they arrived at the cabin, no one had yet known they were in town so they snuck over to Sara's parents. They were so excited at the news and congratulated the couple on their pending arrival. Sara's father and Jack had gone outside so the women could talk baby stuff. Mr Anderson had another heart to heart with Jack and Jack promised he was taking very good care of Sara and he knew he would be an awesome father. Mr Anderson had also asked Jack how the couple was financially which Jack took a bit of offense to. "Sir, please don't take this the wrong way, but we are financially stable and if we weren't, I would still find a way to be able to support my family." Mr Anderson liked to use Jack's Irish temper and get the younger man worked up from time to time but he also admired the man for standing up for his family and beliefs.

He told Jack if they needed anything at all to call and they would do what they could. Sara's mother had told her she wanted to stay for a week or so when the baby was born which Sara gladly accepted. She was actually scared of what could happen after the baby was born, could they handle a baby, would the baby be healthy, would they make good parents, all the normal things that run through a pregnant woman's mind.

After leaving her parents, they went over to the farm and surprised Susan and Mike. They too were extremely happy for the couple. Susan was SO happy at the thought of being a grandmother that she could barely hold it in. Luckily Susan and Sara got along well because Susan was overly excited and she too wanted to spend a few weeks with the couple when the baby was born so Jack said they would all have to cross that bridge later.

The following day Jack and Sara invited both sets of parents to a cook out at the cabin so they could discuss the future. Jack had said he had been thinking about furthering his education. Although he really hated classroom learning, he didn't want to remain a Captain forever and in order to be upgraded to Major, he would need a Master's Degree. All the parents thought it would be a great move for him and Sara and going to school would be full time so he would have less chance of deployment.

When they returned to Hurlburt, Jack made the calls and filled out all necessary paperwork to attend the Air Force Institute of Technology. All he had to do was wait for the response after his records were sent there for evaluation. He was surprised that in just three months he received an acceptance letter telling him to report to the school at the Wright Patterson AFB, in Ohio on August 15.

His CO was sad to see him go as were his buddies but he promised to stay in touch and that he would be back in the field in two years. Kawalski had shocked Jack when he told him he was also admitted and that they would be in the same class. "Heaven help those professor's was all Jack heard from the back of the room." Their good friend Jason Nevens was right, Jack and Charlie together joking around was going to make it hard to concentrate but Sara said she'd keep them in line the best she could outta school. Jack grabbed her around the chest and swung her to face him so their lips would meet, "Or what, you'll punish me?" And he squeezed her butt making her giggle.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

With just three months left of her pregnancy, the couple had made a new home on the base at Wright Patterson. Sara had been asking Jack nearly every night for some form of sex. She didn't care if it was just oral or actual intercourse but the doctor was right, it helped and with Jack giving, and her extra sensitive core and breasts, he left her in complete ecstasy every night. She was so comfortable after being with him it allowed her to fall asleep.

Jack had gone to the school to sign in for his classes and for class orientation. Some of the other guys also had wives and some had children, so Jack felt things were going to be fine, and they were.

Jack and Charlie were doing well in their classes and Charlie would often come over to do some homework and for dinner. They felt bad that he was alone so they fed him more often than not it seemed.

One night, the guys were goofing around, doing their school work when Sara felt like she was having contractions. It had only been 7 months so she wasn't sure. Jack didn't know and she was giving him the look like she needed him, wanted him, right then and there but they had company. Finally she walked over to Jack and whispered in his ear taking his hand. Kawalski just stayed at the table, eyebrow raised figuring she need help with something. Well, he was right, as soon as they went into the bedroom she pushed him against the bed and pulled down his baggie cargo shorts. He felt strange letting her take total control but she was like an animal. Hey, but Charlie's just out in the kitchen! She was giving him one of the best blow jobs he had ever had so decided to let her continue as she made his eyes roll back at the satisfaction.

When she thought he was ready, she made him scooch back onto the bed so she could climb onto him. She held his manhood and slid onto it making her jump from her over sensitive glands. She slid up and down very slow giving herself the scratch she needed. He figured this was about her so he let her do whatever she wanted. Finally she started moving faster riding him like a horse before he warned her he was ready to let go. As she moved faster, her back had been arched and she was ready to scream in delight while he squeezed her breasts sending her into near oblivion. Finally she began to shake and he knew she had gotten what she wanted so he released the seed he had been holding back. The feeling of his warm seed inside her continued her ride before she finally collapsed next to him.

Poor Charlie had been waiting out in the kitchen working on things. Jack had made a comment once during Sara's pregnancy about her wanting sex all the time but he figured Jack was just talking but he was truly questioning it since he figured they were up to something in the bedroom but when he heard Sara scream out he just chuckled.

About 5 minutes later Jack came out of the room, his short hair disheveled worse than normal and Charlie broke out laughing. Jack turned a shade of red that Charlie had never seen and just shook his head. "Sorry man. She is hornier than a toad these days." Charlie couldn't stop laughing, "You poor, poor man. How will you ever make it?"

Just then they heard Sara yelling from the other room. Both men had gone running in and found her standing in a puddle. "Jack, I think my water just broke." Jack grabbed her and her hospital bag and got her to the hospital. Thirteen hours later, an 8 pound, 7 ounce, bundle of baby boy was delivered. They hadn't told anyone what their name choices were, nor did they want to know the sex of the baby when they were doing the ultrasounds so it was a surprise.

Jack was so happy, eyes filled with tears. He cut the cord as the doctor asked and they handed the gooey baby boy to his mother. Jack thanked god his baby was healthy and watched as the nurses took the boy, weighed & measured him, cleaned him and wrapped him in a little bundle before handing him back to Sara. When the doctor was done with Sara and the nurses had her cleaned up, they handed the boy back to his mother and showed her the best way to nurse the child. Jack cried when he took in the sight of his beloved wife so naturally feeding their son. When he got out of the trance, he told her he was going out to call their parents. When he went out to the lobby Charlie was there waiting with a big grin on his face, "You devil you! You pissed off that baby enough to make it come out and get you!"

Jack just grinned. "Well, what is it? A girl or a boy?" Jack was so proud, "it's a boy!" Charlie hadn't thought to ask the boy's name but gave his buddy a hug and told him he'd see him around and asked if Jack wanted him to spread the word.

When Jack got to the phones and call both sets of mother's, both women said they wanted to come stay for a few weeks, Jack put his foot down. "No, this is something that Sara and I can do alone. I have two weeks off to help get her and the baby situated. If you would like to come, stay at a hotel, and visit for a few hours each day that is fine, but I do not have the room for all kinds of people to be staying AND I want us to be able to do it ourselves."

Mr Anderson figured it was that stubborn Irish blood again coming through but he understood. The couples in the mid 1980's were not so dependent on their parents helping them which was fine with him. He was happy he raised a strong daughter. The Anderson's said they would be down in 5 days and would be staying at the local hotel for just a weekend so they could meet their grandson. Susan agreed to come the day the Anderson's were leaving and do the same thing. Jack felt like he was finally a man. He had a wife, a son, and FINALLY parents and in-laws that had to do things his way because of it.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Over the next few years, the O'Neill family was doing well and spent every minute they could up at the cabin so their son Charles Liam O'Neill could be with family. When they returned from a trip they took to Minnesota for Easter, Jack checked in at the base and was told he was going to be deployed for 12 months to the Persian Gulf. He didn't know how he was going to be able to go home and tell his wife that she was going to be alone and that he was going to miss the entire third year of his sons life. He took his orders and went home.

That night Sara asked him what was wrong, she could read him like a book. He pulled her closer to him on the couch and finally told her. She broke down crying which caused him to tear up. They knew it was going to be a possibility, especially with the Gulf War having just begun, they were just praying they called other units.

Jack apologized and held her, letting her work through her tears. "Ya know, maybe you should go stay with your parents while I'm gone." She thought about it for a few minutes and finally responded, "no, but maybe I should go stay at the cabin and at least they will be around. My mother would drive me crazy if I lived WITH her again." Jack laughed knowing she was right.

That night, Jack called his mother to let her know what was happening and she agreed to help anytime Sara wanted the help and was happy she was going to be able to see her grandson so often but she was completely depressed that Jack was going to be deployed.

Then Sara called her parents and told them what was happening. They did try to talk her into staying with them but she insisted she and little Charlie needed their own place so they finally accepted. Whatever happened, Jack knew Sara & Charlie were going to be well cared for.

After Sara went to bed, he went in to check on Charlie who was barely asleep so he picked the boy up, threw a blanket down and the two laid on the floor together. Jack was talking softly to Charlie and telling him how much he loved him and just small talk which he knew the boy didn't understand. Finally Jack and Charlie fell asleep together, Jack on his side holding the boy against him. When Sara found him in the morning, she wanted to cry. She went to get her camera and took a photo of the two together and hoped it wouldn't be the last.

Jack had two days before he had to report for deployment so he drove them all to the cabin to be sure Sara was going to be all set and that way she had the truck to get around. Jack only got to say a quick goodbye to his mother and Mike and returned to the cabin for the night so he could catch a plane in the morning.

Jack and Sara had a very memorable night together. After they put Charlie to bed, they went skinny dipping in the pond, and ended with a night of passionate love making worthy of humming in the morning.

So off Jack went from Duluth back to Wright Patterson where he helped load their gear getting ready for deployment. At this point, Jack was leaving with the rank of Lt Colonel and working under the command of Colonel Frank Cromwell.

Their deployment had been going well until one day a few months into their deployment, they were sent on an "unofficial" mission to Iraq where Jack was severely injured and left behind by his team who thought he was dead. Jack was quickly found by the Iraqi soldiers and held captive in an Iraqi prison for over 4 months.

When the government car was seen in the small town everyone worried. The car went directly to the O'Neill cabin. Sara's mother had been with her at the time of their arrival. When Sara saw them pull up, she feared the worst. The two men introduced themselves and told Sara Jack had been injured and is being held in an Iraqi prison. It was better news then she thought but it was still horrible. Unfortunately every question Sara had for the men they couldn't answer. All they could tell her was that he was injured and being held captive, no more. They did say they were trying to negotiate his release due to his injuries.

When the men left, Sara called Susan who broke down in uncontrollable hysterics. Mike was doing his best to control the woman but all he could do was hold her. All Susan could think was it was an almost exact repeat of what happened with Patrick.

Sara had sent her mother home so she could be alone. Over the next two months, Sara had done her best to raise their little boy. It helped that Charlie was a happy boy and was easy to let him amuse himself for quite a while when he played in the living room.

One rainy evening the Sheriff arrived at Susan's door. When she answered the door and let him in, he told her he was bringing bad news. Sara automatically feared the worst and then thought of how disrespectful the Air Force was for not coming themselves but she listened to the man anyway. He told her that her mother in law was killed in a drunk driving accident. All the Sheriff said was he was told she had been going to the bar every night the last week and they had tried stopping her so they called Mike. When Mike arrived she was already in the car and had taken off towards home at a high speed. He said she shot off the road and directly into a stone wall which killed her instantly. They said Mike had witnessed the entire thing and was quite distraught so they escorted him home to the farm.

Sara was in shock, she loved Susan. Her heart sunk, what will happen now with Jack nowhere to be found. She can't even tell him his mother died. She called her father in the morning to tell him what happened. With no other family left, Sara was going to need to help Mike with the funeral arrangements so she did.

The next month was quite somber, but Sara did her best to raise her son alone with only the occasional help from her parents. She had started taking Charlie to children's recreational things that the town sponsored, took him to the library, and stopped in to see Mike every once and a while to visit the farm animals.

She knew Mike had been talking about selling the farm. She wanted him to hold off until Jack returned as it was his mother's family farm but Mike wanted out of Minnesota. He kept saying with Susan gone, he had nothing to hold him here and he needed to be with his family and with not knowing if or when Jack would be home, he couldn't wait. She thought it was rude and in bad taste but Sara understood that legally Mike inherited the house from Susan so it was his to sell.

Over the next two weeks, Mike had sold all the farm animals and got a buyer for the house and property. She was completely surprised when she received a letter saying Mike had deposited the earnings from the sale minus $20,000, into an account at the local bank in Charlie's name. His letter stated that with Jack away, it was his way to ensure the boy would have a college account or have money for anything he may need. Mike also said he was going to do his best to keep working on getting Jack released from the prison and returned to his family. She didn't really know how he could do anything but then again she knew Mike had friends who were mercenaries so who knew what could happen.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

One sunny Saturday, Sara and Charlie were outside watering the flowers when a black government suv pulled up in front of the house. She took Charlie's hand and began walking towards the house trying to ignore the uniformed Air Force Officer getting out. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear what they had to say and had a million things running through her mind.

When the man stopped at the corner of the house, she started to walk towards him. When she looked up she still had not recognized the man in his Dress blue's and sun glasses as she was looking more to the ground trying not to cry. It was Charlie who broke from her hand and ran toward the man, "Daddy!" Sara realized it was Jack and he grabbed the both of them into the tightest hug he could and they collapsed to the ground while Jack cried openly. He was actually scaring Charlie a little because he had no idea what was happening other than daddy came home from work.

Sara finally stopped crying and got Jack under control enough to get them all inside. Jack filled her in on the basics of what had happened and told her he was able to escape and was met by some guys that had been sent to intercept him and return him to the nearest base. From there he was taken to the hospital and treated before being sent back to the US and then home. Jack had no idea who the men were or why they did what they did. Being in Special Ops for so many years he learned that sometimes you asked no questions and just roll with it if someone was trying to rescue you. Sara knew who it was, it was Mike's old friends from the Air Force whom he had sent but she said nothing.

That night Jack invited Charlie to sleep with them. He had missed his son to the point that he never wanted to be away from him. It was a very emotional night for both adults and they laid studying each other. Her hands were tracing the scars left on his body while they talked. When Jack mentioned that he wanted to surprise his mother in the morning Susan was shattered. She had forgotten that Jack wouldn't know about his mother.

He could tell her mannerism changed when he mentioned his mother. "What? What is it? She's ok isn't she?" Sara just stared into his eyes and took a deep breath. "Jack… honey. I ah, I don't know how to say this." She could tell he was getting angry. "Babe, your mom was killed a couple months ago in an accident." His face went blank before he jumped out of bed, "WHAT!? Oh my god! What about Mike?" Jack was distraught and pacing around, still in shock. "Last I knew Mike was fine. Jack, honey, Mike went off the deep end when your mom was killed, he actually witnessed the accident. He sold the farm about a month ago and left the money in an account for Charlie before leaving."

Jack sat back on the bed and put his palms to his eyes. She moved across the bed to hold him while his mind processed the information she just gave him. She was resting her chin on his shoulder from the back. "Actually, I know Mike took some of the money before he deposited the rest and I believe in my heart, Mike was the one who hired those men to help you escape."

Jack was still sitting and trying to process but thought that made sense. Until he thought back, "No, Mike WAS one of the men who helped me escape." Jack knew there was something familiar about one of them but with paint on their faces and their hats pulled low in the middle of the night, Jack had not recognized him. "Did he say where he was going?" Sara shook her head no.

In the morning, Sara's parents came to see Jack and it was a wonderful reunion for all of them. They enjoyed a wonderful cookout and everyone went swimming. Jack couldn't believe how much Charlie had grown and never let him out of his sight. That evening Sara's parents had offered to take Charlie for the night so Jack & Sara could spend time together without having to worry about having "the child" around as Sara's mother always said. Drove Sara crazy, _he's not "a child", he's my son!_ Sara always thought to herself when her mother said it.

Jack was quick to say no. He simply wasn't ready to let Charlie out of his sight yet. When her parents left and they all said their goodbye's, Jack, Sara, and Charlie had gone into the house and sit in the living room. Charlie had fallen asleep on Jack's chest while he was laying on the couch with his head on Sara's lap. He felt so at ease being home with his family. Sara just ran her fingers through his hair and asked if he was ready to put Charlie to bed. He hadn't planned on it but when he put his head back to look at his wife, he could see the burning in her eyes. When her hand fell to his chest and started running her fingers under his collar and twirling his chest hair, he knew what she wanted.

He sat up and carried Charlie to his own bed and met Sara in theirs. She had already slipped into a satin nightshirt and was in bed when he came in. The thought of making love to his wife began hardening his manhood. He stripped off his shirt and dropped his jeans leaving just his underwear and climbed into bed. That night their love making had been slow and gentle before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

The following day while Jack and Charlie were outside swimming and Sara was hanging out the clothes, the mailman pulled up and walked an envelope to Sara. "Got one special for you Jack. I'll leave it here with your beautiful wife." Jack smiled and thanked him.

Sara looked at it and it had no return address and was in a plain white envelope. There was something about it that made her feel off. "Jack, honey, I think you should check this out." Jack made sure Charlie's swimmies were secure and he hopped up to sit on the dock ready to jump back in after his son if needed. Sara walked it down to him and he opened it. He found a plain white notepaper with writing which appeared to be from a man.

"Jack –

I hope this letter finds you home safe and recovered from your scars. You have a wonderful family which you deserve to be with. I hope you forgive me for any decisions I made after your mothers passing which you may not agree with, but I needed to be sure your wife and son were financially set for their future in the event we could not return you to them.

Jack, I was proud to call you my son and I hope I never did anything to offend you. I adored your mother, she was one hell of a woman and she loved you deeply. You are a wonderful man, father, husband, and fellow soldier. After living through the loss of your father, my fellow team mate, a brother, and having to watch you grow into a man without him, I couldn't sit back idol and let history repeat itself so I did make a decision to step in. Again, I hope I did nothing to offend you. Please know that although we may not let ourselves be known, myself and the rest of Patrick's team will continue to have your six (at least until we're in rocking chairs!).

Congratulations on your home coming son! I'll be in touch when I can. Hug that little Flyboy for me, I miss him like crazy.

Sincerely,

Mike"

Jack started nodding his head with a smile while Sara was waiting for him to tell her what it said. He looked out over the pond, "it's from Mike" and he handed it up to Sara. Sara didn't know what to say so she just sat next to Jack and the two held hands while watching Charlie bounce around in the water saluting his father everytime he looked at him. It was something Jack had just taught the boy so being 4 years old, he did it often.

Jack finally looked at Sara, "I think I should retire. I'm not sure I can do this to you and Charlie anymore." As much as Sara would love for Jack to retire, she knew it was in his blood. She knew he would never be happy working outside of the service. She squeezed him around his chest from the back and rested her head on his shoulder again. "You can't quit what makes you happy. Maybe there is something else you can do for them though."

Jack spend the next few days thinking and made some phone calls. When he was told about some things happening in Colorado at Peterson AFB involving the missile & space program he was interested. They told him it would more of a secure position for a family man so he accepted it.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Two weeks later, Jack had flown down to check everything out and to introduce himself to his commanders. It was certainly going to be different but he did know a couple of the guys and thought it would be something he could learn. The job did take him to Nellis AFB in Nevada from time to time they said but never more than a few days.

Jack found a house for rent just outside the base and signed Charlie up for school before flying back up to Minnesota and getting a moving truck for their things. He was also going to need to go back to Wright Patterson and get that house cleaned out so it was a long trip. The Air Force provided the moving truck but Jack, Sara, and Charlie had to follow in their vehicle.

Once settled, Jack reported to work on time and he was assigned to the 21st Space Wing. He was finding the new job interesting though not nearly as exciting as what he had been doing. Even though he had transferred, they did send him on a couple quick missions but he always returned quickly.

Charlie had been a whiz kid in school and had joined the baseball team and had many friends. Jack looked forward to returning home each night to play ball with his son and enjoyed spending time with his wife and son.

As the winter rolled through, Jack and Sara had found a wonderful house she fell in love with so they decided to take the plunge and purchase their first home. It had been a bit of a drive for Jack but if she was happy, so was he, and he liked the idea of raising Charlie in a small town off base.

As Jack learned more about the program he was send out on more missions and began really learning the ins and outs of nuclear warheads, bombs, missiles, and was often found in the air over various test sites deploying various weapons.

One spring, Charlie had been pushing for Jack to play ball with him again to get ready for baseball season and Jack did play as often as possible. One day, Jack had come home, went upstairs to change into civilian clothes and saw Sara outside so he went out and sat next to her, giving her a welcome home kiss. Charlie had come running over to give him a salute and a hug and asked him to play ball but he had just been too tired. He suggested to his son, that he find one of his buddies to toss the ball. Charlie was upset and ran back into the house.

About twenty minutes later, Sara and Jack heard a gun shot and the first thing they thought of was Charlie's safety. Jack immediately grabbed for his concealed weapon which he carried off duty but his heart sunk when it wasn't there. They both called to their son as they ran into the house and found him bleeding and unconscious. Jack lifted him as they ran to the truck to get him to the hospital.

When they arrived, the doctors and nurses did everything they could but Charlie was gone. Both of them collapsed to the floor crying. Their only son was dead and with Jack's gun.

The priest had taken them to the chapel section of the hospital where he said a prayer. Over the hours they were there, Jack had made phone calls to people such as his CO and Sara's parents. Her parents were getting on the next flight to Colorado and told them they would meet them at the house. Jack and Sara drove home without speaking to the other. After everything they had been through, all of the sudden they were uncomfortable with each other. That night they slept in the same bed but never touched. They both needed each other but neither could cope, the shock was overwhelming.

In the morning Jack had gone to the airport to pick up the in-laws. They each gave him a big hug and their sympathies and he drove them back to the house. Jack was holding himself solely responsible and Sara knew it. Her parents were not great supporters of firearms but having been in the Army, Mr Anderson understood Jack had to carry for his occupation but he was irate over the fact that he left it where the boy could get it.

The following day after the funeral, they had all gone back to the house with friends but Jack was nowhere to be found. Later that night Sara found Jack drunk and sitting behind the shed. She sat with him for a while unsure what to do. After a few minutes she tried to talk to him but he was just too drunk and was crying into the palms of his hands. When it began getting dark she helped him back to the house and put him to bed.

The following afternoon, Sara and her mother heard yelling from the back porch and found her father screaming at Jack who just sat and said nothing. Sara was feeling the same as her father but would never say it and would certainly not be yelling at Jack knowing he was taking so hard. Deep down she knew Jack had always tried being very careful with his weapons and had taught Charlie how to use them properly but the sadness didn't stop breaking her heart.

Jack was just in his own zone and when Mr Anderson stopped, Jack just got up and left. When Sara saw him going to his truck she tried to stop him but he just drove away ignoring her. Over the next few days Sara had tried calling him but there was no answer on his work phone. She didn't know where he was staying but tried all the local hotels and motels with no luck and any messages she left at the base were not being returned.

Everyone had said he just needed time to grieve, let him have his space but after a few more weeks of no contact, she gave up. His friends had said he was staying at the base and was just like a zombie, going in to take care of things, disappearing for a few hours, and returned to his bunk. Her parents had decided to stay with her as she was not ready to leave the home she and Jack had made and didn't want to leave Charlie, it was all still too fresh.

Over the next few months she continued to keep current with how Jack was doing through friends, mostly the wives of his team and once and a while she would stop by the cemetery and see someone had been there and left something, sometimes just a stone, one time a baseball was left, one time a matchbox car and she knew who it had to be. Her heart hurt so much over the loss of Charlie and it was ready to burst losing Jack as well. She needed him in order for herself to get through the loss of her son but he was not there, he ran.

When it came to her attention that Jack was being deployed, she was very upset and didn't feel he was mentally ready to go out in the field and didn't understand why his CO would allow it. She had no idea that in his mind, it was an almost certain suicide mission. She still loved her husband and didn't understand why he couldn't love her back. She wasn't sure she could ever forgive him but she could try to overcome it if he would come home to her.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

When Jack was deployed to Abydos, he had been partnered with Dr Daniel Jackson, his buddy Lt Charlie Kawalski, and Lt Louis Feretti among others. They were there for almost 8 months fighting Ra, Anubis and Horus. A few of his team members had been killed as well as many Abydonians and Jack and Daniel had been taken prisoner. Daniel was killed and brought back to life by Ra who wanted him to kill his friends but they were saved by Skaara, Sha're, and others. Skaara was a young boy who reminded Jack of Charlie, always happy, smiling, running and Daniel Jackson had fallen in love Sha're. By the time everything was going down and Jack felt they had won, he tried to deactivate the bomb but it had been sabotaged and could not be stopped. With no other way, Jack and Daniel figured they could ring the bomb to Ra's ship with only a minute to go and they were successful. They blew up the ship while it was in the air leaving no devastation to Abydos.

During their stay the team and the Abydonians became quite close and Daniel actually decided to stay and marry Sha're. The two had a long fight about it but Daniel refused so he told the man to bury the gate after they left so they couldn't be detected and Earth would assume Jack followed through with the plan.

Jack's report had said exactly that, Daniel Jackson was dead, lost in the explosion, and the warhead had been detonated. He simply left out a few other facts that he hoped no one would ever know about.

When Jack arrived home safely he continued to stay on the base. He was still depressed over Charlie and of course walking away from Sara but he couldn't face her. Her only baby was gone because of his negligence and he knew she could never really forgive him. One day Jack received the paperwork he was dreading, it was from their lawyer saying Sara had filed for a divorce. He simply signed the papers and everything they had over to Sara except the cabin in Minnesota. He figured she may be able to start a new life if she had everything but the cabin was like a member of his family, he promised his grandfather Liam he would always take care of it.

Knowing he signed the papers so quickly and without contest, she cried, she didn't understand. She packed all his things and her father brought them to the base for Jack to pick up. It wasn't much, mostly his awards, metals, plaques, clothes, and sitting on top of one of his things was some photo's she knew he'd want. Some of Charlie as a baby and growing up, one of the three of them, some of just Jack and Charlie together and the rest of Jack and his friends or pics from the Air Force.

He hadn't opened them until after he bought a house near the base. He was unpacking and found them. He sat on the couch just holding them to his chest staring out the back door. He sat there all night and in the morning he went to the Administration Office and submitted his papers for retirement. He went to the base and packed up all his belongings, turned in his uniforms and equipment and by the end of the week he was Mr Jack O'Neill, civilian, Air Force Colonel Retired.

Jack had spent the year staying to himself, looking up to the stars, often wondering about Daniel and Sha're, hoping Skaara was doing well and that nothing had happened after he left. He had gone up to stay at the cabin for the summer when he found out Sara's father had sold their house and moved to Winter Park with Sara and that Sara's mother was very ill. He truly felt bad and wanted to go see the woman but he couldn't make himself do it. He stayed at the cabin until fall before coming back to the house in Colorado Springs.

Not long after he got back to town, he was up looking at the stars as he normally did on a cool fall evening when two men approached in a government car. Jack pretended to ignore them until one of the men climbed up onto the roof with him. It was Major Samuels, the aid to General Hammond.

Major Samuels explained that General Hammond was requesting his presents regarding the Stargate Program. Jack paused figuring he knew what it may be concerning. When he met General Hammond, the man seemed like a good leader, Jack respected his position however even when asked if the mission was as his report said, he lied and said it did.

General Hammond had commanded a lot of men in his time and he knew a lie when he heard one so he called Jack's bluff. He took him to the Gate Room and told him he was sending over a Mach 5 Bomb because he believe it was Ra who returned to take his SF Officer and he was unaware there were other places Ra could've come from.

General Hammond told the Sgt to arm the bomb and continue as scheduled as he walked to face away from the retired Colonel and the General cracked a smile. When Jack decided to plead him not to send it because his report may not have been completely accurate, the General took back his serious look and turned back to the man. It was then that General Hammond knew if he took back Colonel Jack O'Neill, he would have his hands full. Not obeying orders was wrong but after thinking it through, the General knew Jack had done what he needed to do and left Abydos feeling that Earth's threat had been eliminated and he was able to save the community of 5,000.

The End…. The rest is as you all know it, just watch the show, hahaha! J


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